Harding's luck

yes, and his eyes suddenly smarted and felt tired so that he was very glad to shut them. He had an absurd fancy that he could see, through his closed eyelids, some

even when a voice spoke quite near him. He had no doubt but that it was

to himself. He was to

quite a large pattern, the voice was un

here do you w

supposed himself to be listening to a

small and soft voices. T

ours than mi

is than I am,"

than I am,"

r than I am," s

voice, and there was a humming sou

," said the seco

d w

a good

ak. When he awoke his eyelids no longer felt heavy, so he opened them. "

House; and in the green curtains was woven a white pattern, very like the thing that was engraved on Tinkler and on the white seal. On the coverlet lavender and other herbs were laid. And the wall was hung with pictures done in needlework-tapestry, in fact, though Dickie did not know that this was its name. All the fur

stiffly. A stout woman in very full skirts sat in a large armchair at the foot of the bed. She wore a queer white cap, the like of which Di

ous dream!"

n looked

ams who fall sick of the fever. But thou'st found thy tongue at last-thine o

s in the front room

orget it. And do not talk of it. To talk of such dre

a silver basin. It had wrought roses on it and "Drink me and drink again" in queer letters round the rim; but this Dickie only noticed later. She poured white wine into the gruel, and, having stirred it with

ions. "How'd I come 'ere? 'Ave I bin run

ome in the best bed in your father's house at Deptford. And you've had the plague-f

e. You're a-takin' me for some other chap, that's what it

and think, and you'll see you'll remember me very well. Forget your old

ven't," s

nurse asked, laughing

was naturally "

ver hurts the memory, but this beats all. Dost mean to tell me the fever has mazed thy poor brains till thou don'

my name?"

deed," sh

akened to the same dream once more, and now he began to wonder whether he really belonged here, and whether this were the real life, and the other-the old, sordid, dirty New Cross life-merely a horrid dream,

e," s

e to yourself," she said

d, I've forgotten it. Tell me al

uttered, and then began to

ather's country house. "It lies," said the nurse, "among the pleasant fields and orchards of Deptford." And how he, Dickie, had been very

go with them to their town house, and see the sights of London. And now," she added, looking out of the window, "I spy the good doctor a-coming. Make the best of thyself, dear h

e was not nearly so tired as he thought. The excitement of all these happenings had brought a pink flush to his face, and when the doctor, in a

anada, and wine, the Rhenish and the French, and the juice of the orange and the lemon, or, failing those, fresh apple-juice squeezed from the f

weet and strong, something like grocers' shops and something like a chemist's. There were little holes in

it?" Dick

quickly; "'tis the good doctor's pomander, wit

and quinces and myrrh-with wormwood, camphor, and the fresh flowers of the camomile. And musk-forget not musk-a strong thing against contagion. Let the vapor of it pass to and fro through the chambe

k-gowned doctor nodded and smiled a

h green trees outside the windows? He could not remember any house in Deptford that had green trees in its garden. And the nurse had said something about the pleasant fields and orchards. Those, at any rate, were not in the Deptford he knew. Perhaps there were two Deptfords. He knew there were two Bromptons

n the hot ashes. Now it had boiled, and two maids were carrying it to and fro in the room, as the do

nd she came quickly. "Nur

, "but she lies sick at your father's other

and not try to dream any more about New Cross and Mr. Beale. If this is a dream, it's a better dream

lamb-and shalt,

e nurse quite plainly that he remembered nothing about himself, and after he had told her she would sit by his side by the hour and tell him of things that had happened in the short life of the boy whose place h

that he had only dreamed all that old life in New Cross with his aunt and in the pleasant

r, he could see the green fields that sloped down to the river, and the rigging and the masts of the ships that went up and down. The rigging looked familiar, but the shape of t

and look at them clos

ckyard. Thy old way-I know thee, hearing the master mariners' tales, and se

. And was told. The nurse was v

were expected. That he had duties of kindness and protection to the servants; that he was expected to grow up brave and noble and generous and unselfish, to care for those who called him master. He felt now very fully, what he had felt vaguely and dimly at Talbot Court, that he was not the sort of person who ought to do anything mean and dishonorable, such as being a burglar, and climbing in at pantry windows; that when he grew up he would be expected to look after h

e Inn of the Silver Moon, to Richard of the other name who lived well and slept softly, and knew himself called to a destiny of power and helpful kindness. For his nurse had told him that his father was a

, laughing maids, the old doctor with his long speeches and short smiles, his bed, his room, the ships, the river, the trees, t

dressed him, bade him walk to the window, ins

atingly, "where's my. . .? Wh

old nurse

ly boy! Thou wants no crutch with two fine, straight,

ys he had not liked to look at his feet. He had not loo

the nurse e

em-as firm and even under the one foot as under the other. He stood up straight, moved the foot that he had been used to move-then the other, the one that

lamb?" the nurse sa

is might. "I dreamed that I was lame! And I thoug

e garden was more beautiful even than the garden at Talbot Court. But it was not only the beauty of the house and garden that made Dickie's life a new and full delight. To limp along the leafy ways, to crawl up and down the carved staircase would have been a pleasure greater than any Dickie had ever known; but he could leap up and down

quite without mistake to the blacksmith's at the village on the hill-to the centre of the maze of

ow a carpenter or a plumber round the house, fiddle with his tools, ask him a thousand questions, and watch him ply his trade? Dickie at New Cross had spent many an hour watching those i

wood and tools that Dickie had never seen. And the man greeted him as an old friend, kissed him on both cheeks-which he

y since thou was here to pester me with thy questions. And all's strong again-

said Dickie, trembli

ard in a jolly laugh. "And see what I've made thee while

d next moment came out with a little ship in his hand-a perfect mo

HE PROUDLY, 'OF MY OLD SH

ag

ure, that I sailed in with Master Raleigh, and help to sink the accurs

ite strange feeling, rather like going down

p-builder. "Thou'st heard t

pes. It was just the same story as the one you read in your history book-and yet how different, when it

rms and their treasure, their guns and their gunners, their mariners and their men-of-war. And the remnant was scattered and driven northward, and some were wrecked on the rocks, and some o

eds of years ago-three, five-he could not remember how many, but hundreds. Could

s," said the ship-builder. "See, the pretty littl

y and terror of the enemy", and with deck and orlop, waist and poop, hold and masts-all complete with forecastle and cabin, masts and spars, port-holes

-"really for me? And

d 'tis thine. See, I shall put an apron on thee and thou shalt be my 'prentice and learn to build another

is eyes, submitted to the leather apron, and felt in his

u remember the Armada-twenty years ago.

ckon better than that if thou'st to be my 'prentice. 'Twas in the year of grace 158

ream," said Dickie-"

folk travel far. Now, hold th

ained to the old nurse, who nodded wisely and said he would soon learn all afresh. And he did, very quickly, learn a great deal, and always it was more like remembering than learning. And a second tutor, very smart in red velvet and gold, with breeches like balloons and a short cloak and a ruff,

ox with the arms of his house on the lid, and make that lid fit; could bow like a courtier and speak like a gentleman, and play a

is uncle, and a most charming lady in blue and silver seemed to be his aunt, and a very jolly little boy and girl who sat by him and talked merrily all the while were his little cousins. Cups of wine and silver dishes of fruit and cakes were handed round: the galley was decked with fresh flowers, and from another boat quite near came the sound of music. The sun shone overhead and the clear river sparkled and more and more boat

S DECKED WITH

ge

the little cousins whispere

d the King's barge, and the long, beautifu

iendly and jolly, the grown-up people so kind-everyt

estrife and meadowsweet and willow-herb and yarrow grew tall and thick. There were

ame to a pretty lit

her's house. And to-morrow it is the Masque in Sir Thomas's Park. And we are to see it. I am glad thou'st well of thy fever, Richard. I shou

oy cousin. "We are to stay a month. And we'll see thy g

e boat came against the q

d the little cousins, "or hadst tho

e repeated, in qui

old the rabbit-hutch, and shot the moon!-"you boys remember how I showed you to carry my train. And my gir

lamps hung in festoons from tree to tree, the blazing torches, the music, the Masque-a sort of play without words in which every one wore the most wonderful and beautiful dresses, and the Queen herself took a part dre

called father. You promised to go there as soon as you could. Why haven't you gone? Gra

he worst of it was that now, for the first time since he had found that he was not lame, he felt-more than felt, he knew-that the old New Cross life had not been a fever dream,

ream," said Dickie,

ouldn't

jumble themselves up as things do in dreams. They remained solid and real. He knew that this must be a dream, and that Beale and Gravesend and New Cross and the old lame life were the real thing, and yet he could not

my lamb?"

you wouldn't under

d she, ver

om at the tapestries a

't," h

she sai

erent from this. But there's a man waiting there for me that was good to me when I was-when I wasn

that dreadful place," said

e's waiting there. I wis

gly; "'tis not easy to bring those

eam to

go. Heaven forbid that one of thy race should fail a friend. Look! there are

hing to be done. He must wake up and keep his promise to Beale. But it was hard-hard-hard. The beautiful house, the beautiful garden, the games

hearth and set it on a silver plate. Now s

d, "and wish thyself where thou w

little fire in the silver plate, and the nur

n d

dies

es

flies

though he heard confuse

d shore of awakening. He opened his eyes. He was in the little bare front room in New Cross. Tinkler and the white seal lay on the floor amo

" He put Tinkler and the seal in one pocket, gathered up the moon-seeds and

ing sun

eks and weeks, in just a little bit of on

rful dream on purpose to go to Gravesend, he might as well start at once. But his

shouldn't have thought any dream cou

agerly, confidently, as a sound child leaps, and

y-the old broom, cut down, that Lady Tal

at the dismal, sordid street. "I wonder," he said, "if Deptford was ever re

en no one was looking, and

ent the crutch on

About this time, in the dream he had chosen to awaken from, for the sake of Beale, a bowl of porridge would

ly, but the pain in his

as I can do

d balls above the door of

d, shrugged his sho

er, "here we are again. Wa

what'll you give me on

red, frowned, and

nd you come to pledge it with me! You should have been one

t very much. But I must have my fare to Gravesend. My father's

ed the

e fare to

u'd know. Will you give m

" he said, "no. The seal's not worth it. Not but what

ll not let me pledge the seal with you. Then let me pledge my word-my word of honor. Lend me the

boys. It was the accent of the boy who had had two tutors and a big garden, a place

is in the Jews has survived centuries of torment, shame, cruelty, and oppression. This inherited sense of romance in the pawnbroker now leaped to answer Dickie's appeal. (And I do hope I am not confusing you; stick to it; read it again if you don't underst

like your pluck. Every man's got to make a fool of himself one ti

will?" said

aid the Jew, feel

e, as the pawnbroker laid certain monies before him on the

e it," sai

We never forget, we--" He stopped. He remembered that he was poor little lame D

, put them in his pock

silver. But these seeds-the moon-seeds," he pulled out a handful. "You liked

the pawnbroker. "I'll ra

w best by moonlig

ry, sad, and very anxious man rose up from his place by the fir

ound Dickie's shoulders. "The little nipper, so it ain't! I thought you'd got p

ering the long, clean tapestry-hung dining-hall of his dream. "Ye

men look at some rare treasure gained with much cost and after long seekin

ut in his soul he was glad, because the soul is greater than the heart, and knows greater things. And now Dickie loved Beale more than ever, because for him he had sacrificed hi

hard bed, with his clothes and his boots

did not

orning, remembering many

am? Or was the o

sheets and the smell of the close room, and Mr. Beale's voice